"Naina, tumhare maze hain... saara din Sana ke saath rehti ho. Pata hai main kitna miss karta hun usse office mein?" Sameer grumbled when Naina reminded him that it was time to leave for office.

She rolled her eyes, "Mr Maheshwari, aapke liye Sana chaar mahine mein office jaana toh shuru nahi kar sakti na."

He twisted his mouth sadly, "Tumhe toh uske paas rehne ka mauka mil raha hai na... bas mera office jaana hi wapas shuru ho gaya."

She scrunched her nose, nodding in understanding.

His face brightened with a sudden idea, "Naina, aisa karein... pehle ke jaise main ghar se..."

She cut him short, fully aware of the ideas that were churning in his mind, "Nahi Sameer. Waise toh uss waqt bhi aisa nahi karna chahiye tha lekin... par ab nahi. Baaki sab ki tarah tum bhi roz factory jaoge. Aakhir kaam hai tumhara... usse nazarandaz nahi kar sakte."

The corners of his lips dropped as she picked up Sana from his lap, "Tumne bhi office jaana band kiya na... bas mere liye hi saare rules hain. Tum ghar pe reh sakti ho toh main kyon nahi?"

She held Sana's wrist, placing her small hand on her cheek, "Kyonki maternity leave sirf maa ko milti hai."

Sana smiled at her, then at her dad. He sulked even more. Naina held Sana close to his face, making her lips touch his cheek and then, raising herself on the toes, placed a kiss on the other puffed cheek.

She winked when he gave her a surprised look, "Ab jao, jab hamari yaad aaye toh apne gaal pe haath rakh ke humein mehsoos kar lena."

"Tumhe meri yaad aayegi toh?" He pushed his hands in pocket, smirking suggestively.

Naina turned to the baby, "Sana, papa ko bolo, humein nahi aayegi... hum dono din bhar maze se khelenge."

His arms went around both of them together, "Meri Naina mujhe yaad na kare aisa ho hi nahi sakta."

His lips skimmed on the side of her face, all over her cheek, making Sana giggle.

"Sameer, baby ke saamne..." Her cheeks flared up and she tried to bring some distance between them, but his hold was strong.

However, he lifted his face, and placed a gentle kiss on Sana's cheek, smiling at her, "Apni mumma ko yaad dilate rehna ki tumhare papa unhe miss kar rahe hain."

She waved her arms, gurgling at him.

"Aur tumko bhi." He touched his lips to her forehead.

It wasn't easy to send him away. Once he left, Naina looked at her daughter, who was still peering at the door, craning her neck, thinking that he would appear again. A dread set within her heart... she would also have to join office sooner or later... how and where would she leave Sana. Though chachiji had offered that she could leave her at their house in the morning and pick her up when they both came back from office but...

She held the baby close, "Tumhe saara din chod ke kaise jaungi, Sana?"

The little one held her face within her chubby palms, feeling the warmth of her mother.

The new bed became a convenient thing for Naina as she could pull up the fourth side of wooden rails and keep the baby safe when she slept during the day. She started using that time to get back to her writing. Also, she started to check the mails and understand what was going on in office.

One morning, Sameer opened his eyes to find Sana sucking the side of her palm. He pulled out her hand from her mouth. She grabbed his finger, took it in her mouth and started to press it between her gums. He was amused when she didn't let him take it away. She screamed and lunged at his hand when he forcibly took it out of her mouth. Her bite was very mild though. But when she again bit on his finger in the evening, her gums were hard and strong.

It soon became a habit... more for him than for Sana. He would let her bite on his finger. In fact, it was a sort of meter. He started understanding by the pressure of her gums how alert or sleepy she was. Whenever Naina found it difficult to put her to sleep, he would let her bite once to know if her energy was low enough... it ascertained whether she was ready to sleep or not. Sometimes, when she was playful, she would bite hard and he yelled dramatically, making her break into spurts of laughter. Though Naina chided him for teaching such drama to their little girl, she loved baby's unrestrained laughter. Their lives revolved completely around their daughter.

Every visit to the doctor confirmed that both Naina and Sana were absolutely fine and healthy. But the days when the baby received her vaccination shots were harrowing, more for her parents than her.

"Itne chote bachhe ko injection kyon dete hain, doctor? Thode bade hone ke baad nahi lagwa sakte kya?" Sameer asked once, after consoling both his crying girls.

Doctor smiled at the concern that was put up by every single first time parent, "Kya aap apne bachhe ko safe nahi rakhna chahte? Jitni jaldi yeh vaccination usse milega, utni jaldi uske bimar padne ka darr khatam ho jayega. Yeh do minute ka dard sirf baby ke hi nahi, aap sab ke liye faydemand hai... kyonki yeh unn bimariyon ka darr mita deta hai jinse aapki baby ko khatra ho sakta hai."

The thought of Sana falling sick made them tremble. Sameer looked at her... with her head on Naina's shoulder, she was silent. He stroked her head, and she jerked up, giving him a bright smile.

Doctor noticed the reaction, "Dekha aapne, kitni jaldi woh dard ko bhool gayi. Lekin bimar padne pe itni jaldi sab theek nahi hota. Isliye zaroori hai ki aap iske card pe likhi hui har vaccination ke liye time pe leke aayein."

Sameer nodded, glancing at the card to memorise the next date for their visit.

Sana was a resilient baby. She would be a little cranky a few times on the day she received her shots, but became normal from next day, laughing and playing. So it came as a surprise when she started to get into short bouts of wailing very often after a few weeks. It wasn't constant crying, but she seemed to get distressed anytime of the day. Naina noticed that she was rubbing her face vigorously.

"Sameer, lagta hai Sana ko kuch problem hai. Humein doctor ke paas chalna chahiye." She told him when he came back in the evening.

Sameer picked up the baby, softly touching her face. It wasn't warm. He tickled her tummy with his finger. She let out the usual happy squeal.

"Aise toh theek lag rahi hai. Din mein kuch hua kya?" He asked Naina.

She told him about her repeated crying and not taking proper feed, besides constant rubbing of face.

The doctor first checked her temperature. He asked a few questions from Naina, then made Sana lie down on the baby bed behind him. He checked her stomach and chest. There seemed to be no apparent problem. While he was telling the worried parents that she seemed fine, Sana started to cry again, trying to pull her ear. Doctor checked her ear for any infection. There was none. As he noticed her bawling face, his expression relaxed.

"Kuch problem nahi hai. Iske daant aane lage hain. Issi wajah se baby ko irritation ho rahi hai." He smiled.

Naina was baffled, "Lekin aisa toh kuch nahi laga."

The doctor opened his drawer and took out a gel filled teether. He got up and cleaned it properly in the basin of his room. After wiping it dry, he held it out to Sana. She grabbed it, and instantly took it to her mouth. Sameer watched in amazement as her crying stopped immediately and she chewed the soft ring.

"Abhi sirf gums mein swelling hai. Kuch hi dino mein aapko choone se mehsoos hone lagega. Iske rone ki yehi wajah hai." Doctor explained to them.

Naina was relieved to see her comfortable.

"Toh daant nikalne ke waqt aur koi problem bhi ho sakti hai kya?" She asked.

Doctor shook his head, "Thodi bohot irritation hogi jo aise teether dene se kaafi hadd tak theek ho jayegi. Shayad neend thodi kam ho jaaye par zyada kuch nahi hota."

When they were at home, Sameer let her bite his finger again. He didn't feel any sharpness. But her gums felt tender... the bite wasn't as strong as it usually was.

Within a few days, they both could feel the hard edge of her tooth on the lower gum. It was much more fascinating for Sameer. He had never given it a thought that babies got their teeth one at a time. Rather, he had become so used to Sana's toothless smiles that it didn't occur to him that she would be soon cutting teeth. Her bite became sharper as the tooth started showing more. At times, she would bite so hard that the imprint of tooth remained on his finger.

"Sameer, tum pagal ho kya? Woh choti hai usse abhi pata nahi ki tumhe dard hota hoga. Lekin tum toh bachhe nahi ho na... kyon usse kaatne dete ho?" Naina blew on his finger, distressed by the sight of tooth mark.

He pressed his finger to her lips, "Waise toh mujhe dard nahi ho raha lekin tumhe lagta hai toh ek kiss kardo... saara dard furrrr."

She dipped her head to the side, giving an amused smile, "Furrrr? "

He nodded. She held his wrist and placed a hard kiss on his finger. He quickly brought ahead the index finger of other hand. She narrowed her eyes, but kissed over it nonetheless. He checked Sana... she had turned over, lying on her stomach and chewing on the teether. He grabbed Naina's wrist, and placed his finger on his lower lip. Her eyes widened. His arm slid around her waist, drawing her closer. He turned, his back towards the bed and Naina hidden behind him.

"Ab theek hai? Na Sana tumhe dekh sakti hai na hum usse. Ab karo mere dard ka ilaaj." He held her waist, gazing into her eyes.

"Kar toh diya. Ungli pe kaata tha na Sana ne, wahan ilaaj ho gaya." She wrapped her arms around his neck, meeting his eyes with the same glint.

He raised one brow, then leaned and nipped at her lower lip.

"Ahh Sameer, yeh kya kar rahe ho?" She was taken aback.

"Oho, yeh toh nishan ho gaya. Dard ho raha hoga na, Naina... lao, main abhi furrrr kar deta hun." The fake concern on his face could not hide the impish gleam in his eyes.

He pulled her with a jerk, making her come up on her toes. Their faces almost touched each other as their breaths mingled. His musky scent filled her senses, making her heady. Her eyes raced between his lips and eyes. He kissed the corner of her mouth. Her lips parted in anticipation. He tilted his head to the other side, and kissed the other corner. Her fingers bunched his hair at the nape desperately. He glided his nose over hers.

"Sameer." She whimpered, lifting her face to him.

Her lips were crushed under his before she could speak again. The teasing was more tormenting for him. Holding back while she looked so delectable and inviting wasn't possible anymore. She melted in his arms, as he addictively invaded all her senses with one stroke of his tongue. She pulled him closer, though they were already plastered to each other. His arms draped around her, making her arch back, and he delved deeper, reaching the warm corners of her mouth.

It was never enough... for either of them. Each kiss was like a new one... it brought back the memories of their first one, and it awashed them with a novel feeling. It gave them the gratification of possession, and it made them crave for possessing more. It fueled the fire within, and it soothed the need to be with each other.

Each kiss was a celebration... of being with each other, for each other... forever.

preetidhas see what your inspiration has done 🤭

Next update tomorrow evening